Throughout her turbulent childhood and adolescence, Chanda Castañeda Daggs, Ph.D., found solace in her teachers. Although she trained to be a nurse, it left her empty. “I asked God for help,” she says. “He led me to find my calling in education.”

Now, for more than 16 years, she’s been an anchor to students like her teachers were for her. “I am passionate about helping teenagers navigate through adolescence by first finding Jesus and second by knowing themselves,” she says. “Teenagers find themselves in high school. It’s a stage in life where talents and purpose unfold. It is also where they have the most energy and take the most risks.”

As a classroom teacher, Chanda inspired students to learn about God, themselves, and how to be successful after high school. This year, she stepped out of the classroom and into a new role as Vice Principal for Student Life at Loma Linda Academy.

Chanda loves how Adventist education gives her a chance to share Jesus. “I chose to teach in Adventist schools because I know it works!” she says. “It might not work for students in that very school year, or even in the next year, but Adventist education is a medium where teachers plant seeds of truth into the hearts of each student. Those seeds may lie dormant for a while, but when life struggles come faith flourishes.”

She knows this is true because she lived it. “I am a fourth-generation Adventist but slipped away during my teen years and young adult life,” she shares. “Eventually, Adventist education saved me. It saved me long after I graduated from high school.”

She thinks back to her elementary years, time she calls fundamental. “I memorized songs and Bible verses. I joined Pathfinders. I learned how to lead in and organize worship services. I received training in sharing Jesus with others through preaching and music ministry.” But while she did so much, she recalls her participation as mainly performances. “In my childhood, I don’t recall internalizing or experiencing Jesus, even though I was helping others experience Him.”

But through unlocking her talents, she found her path. “I would much later realize and then use those talents in my adulthood to impact my students and encourage parents,” she says.

Her rebellious middle- and high-school years were a challenge. Chanda’s parents sent her to boarding schools in the Philippines. There, she was active in sports, music, and religious theater. But there were still struggles. “While I was having fun in academy, I had extremely high disregard for school rules and policies,” she recalls. “I frequently found myself in trouble with administration and deans.”

In college, Chanda gave up her rebellious ways. “I surrendered,” she says. “I was unhappy in life. I was lost. I often asked, ‘Why am I here?’ ‘Here’ meant the Earth. Why was I here? Why was I born? What am I supposed to be doing in my life? In my reflections, all I could think about were my experiences in Adventist schools—Bible verses came to mind; songs and lyrics encouraged me.” She found herself singing “Trust and Obey” during troubled times, and she felt as if God were speaking to her. “When I hit rock-bottom, God used my past experiences in Adventist education to remind me of my talents and purpose,” she says. “I’d recall and reflect on all the times I witnessed for Him as a young child, which gave me a hopeful future ahead.”

Those tough years have a profound impact on Chanda’s interactions with students. “I have a special heart for teens who struggle in life—specifically those who have experienced neglect, abandonment, confusion, and loss of motivation.”

Although she loves teaching and her administrative role, Chanda says she’s bonded most with students outside the classroom. “My greatest joy has been taking students on trips,” she says. “Mission trips, college visits, basketball tournaments. I get to see students experience new places and food, meet new people, and witness for God—even on the basketball court.”

Success is measured in small moments and big, and Chanda says she finds a simple thank you most rewarding. “It’s the best feeling ever! Some students have thanked me after writing an excruciating 10-page research paper. Many others have thanked me years after graduation. After they have gone on to college or senior academy, they have thanked me for teaching them how to write an APA paper or to appreciate reading. I love receiving Facebook, Instagram, or text messages from former students who found value in my English class. Academic success isn’t the only place for gratitude. Students have thanked me for praying with them or taking the time to listen to the drama in their lives. Teachers don’t make a lot of money, but we sure make a difference!”

Chanda’s greatest hope is that the difference she and her fellow educators make in the lives of students now will follow them throughout life. “I hope that my students truly value the impact Adventist education has and that one day they too will send their children to our schools, and their children will send their children to our schools, and on and on for generations until Jesus comes,” she says. “I wish every parent knew that Adventist education is not a quick fix to their child’s struggles, but rather is part of their child’s growing process. Adventist education doesn’t create immunity from a sinful world. Young people fall into temptations, experience pain, confusion, and disappointment. I believe that there’s no better place to experience troubles than in an Adventist Educational setting where God is present and teachers minister.”

This ministry is woven throughout Chanda’s life. “Teaching is a high and special calling,” she shares. “Others should consider becoming a teacher if they feel called. If their life experiences have led them to become an inspiration to others, they should consider inspiring young people.”

It can be just that simple, she says. “If you’re thinking about going into education, first pray and fast,” she advises. “Ask God to make the calling so evident, there’s no way of mistaking it.” She recommends shadowing current teachers, and volunteering in youth programs to learn what the job entails and how interacting with children engages and energizes them. “I highly recommend the field of education for anyone who values children and teens and sees them as precious souls for Christ, and for those who have experienced God as their Lifesaver,” she says. “The energy we have from our personal testimonies ought to translate into a (com)passion to help the youth grow spiritually and academically.”